Mechanism for traversing artillery pieces



Jan. 18, 1949, s, L ss 2,459,159 I MECHANISM FOR TRAVERSING ARTILLERY PIECES Filed May 6, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1949- N. s. GLASSMAN MECHANISM FOR TRAVERSING ARTILLERY PIECES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 6, 1947 awe/mm NAT HAN E]; E LA55 MAN) j%ifi4%/YM Patented Jan. 18, 1%49' MECHANISM F OR TRAVERSING ARTILLERY PIECES Nathan S. Glassman, Washington, D. 0.

Application May 6, 1947, Serial No. 746,283

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 2 Claims.

The invention described in the following specification and claims may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to mechanism for traversing an artillery piece, and provides traversing means for an improved gun mount which can be "broken down into man pack loads for mobility.

The particularly novel and useful features of the improved mechanism are the detachable traverse bar on demountable trails, the traverse arm on the rotatable, removable gun carriage, and the operative connecting means, for the bar and arm, slidable on the bar for both rough traversing and fine azimuth adjustment of the gun, by rocking the arm and carriage I While there has been illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter fully described a specific embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not considered'to be limited to said specific embodiment, and that its scope is defined by the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the improved mount supporting the piece and provided with the improved traversing mechanism, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section, on the line 22 of Fig. l, in the direction of the arrows, parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

As shown in the drawings, the improved traversing mechanism is applied to a gun mount having a ground-supported, circular base plate I with an integral, concentric, cylindrical, hollow pedestal 2 on which is mounted, as by welding, a crosshead 3 comprising a pair of tubular arms extending dimetrically from pedestal 2, on the outer ends of which are removably piv-otally connected trails t and 5, provided with collars 6 bolted thereon and having shackles l for attach ment of eye 8 and hook 9 on the ends of a traverse bar 56, respectively. A latch Ii is pivoted on the shackle 'l engaged by hook 9 to retain book 9 in engaged position.

The improved traversing means has a splitsleeve :2 slidable axially of bar ID. A split ring i3 is mounted on sleeve I! by bolts l4, and has cars it: in which are adjusting nuts I 6 having tached to sleeve 24 by bolt 29.

peripheral sockets H for set screws 18 threaded in ears l5. Nuts I 6 are threaded on two reversely threaded coaxial bolts IS on head 20 pinned in collar 2i of handle 22 for clamping and releasing ring l3 andsleeve l2 relative to bar 1!). Sleeve 12 has a peripheral flange 23, spaced from rin 58, on which is seated one end of sleeve 24 about bar I!) and having peripheral flanges 25 and 26. A ring 2? is disposed loosely about ring [-2 abutting flange 23 and has a flange 28, about the end of sleeve 24, abutting flange 25. Flange 26 is at- Sleeve 24 has interior 7 threads 30 with which mesh exterior threads 31 on a sleeve 32 freely slidable on bar ill. A ring 33 loosely about sleeve 32 is pinned to flange 2B of sleeve Z l' by pins or screws 34. Sleeve 2A, with rings 21 and 33 attached thereto, is rotatable about, but not axially movable of sleeve I2, and sleeve 12 and sleeve 24 are so related that when ears (5 are adjusted to release ring l3 and sleeve l2 from engagement with bar Iii, sleeves I2 and [4 are slidable, as a unit, axially of bar l0, and meshing threads 3i] and 3! cause sleeve 32 to move axially of bar ll] when sleeve 24 is either rotated or moved axially of bar I t.

Ring l3 has mounted thereon,'by the bolts 14, a spring detent 35 co-acting with notches 36 in ring 21 to prevent accidental rotation of sleeve 24, and for indicating degrees of rotation of sleeve 24.

Sleeve 32 has diametrical lugs 37 on which are pivoted, by bolts 38, the ends 39 of a yoke ll] having a shank l! slidably received in a tubular end portion 42 of a traversing arm 4'3 suitably attached to a post 44 suitably journaled in the hollow pedestal 2 of the base and supporting the rotatable top carriage of the mount. Suitable elevating mechanism 45 for the gun 66 is carried by the traversing arm 53.

A tubular housing 41 projects from the pedestal 2, under the arm 53, in which is slidable a latch 48'having a head 49 received in a notch 50 in the lower face of arm 53. Latch ll! is biased toward arm 43 by a coil spring 56 about latch 48 and confined between head 39 and a plug 52 screwed into the lower end of housing 47. A pair of cam plates 53, with an operating finger 54, are pivoted on the lower end of latch 43 and coact with the lower face of plug 52 to retract latch 53 to release arm 43 for traversing. A bracket 55 is suitably mounted, adjacent the gun 46, on the carriage supporting gun 46. In the bracket 55, there is removably mounted a telescopic sight 56 so positioned that its line of sight is precisely parallel with the bore of gun 6'6.

It will be noted (Fig. 1) that the parts are so related that arm 43 gun 36 and sight 56 are constantly parallel and that the bracket 55 spaces the sight G laterally of the gun 46. The sleeve 52 for rocking arm 23 for traversing and the sleeve for sliding the sleeve 32 are disposed constantly below the space between the gun it and the sight 55. Ihis relation of the parts provides a very desirable feature of the improved mechanism, viz. the disposition of the manually operated, actuating sleeve 26, for traversing, in constant immediate juxtaposition with the sight 53. It is to be understood that the sight 56 is elevated above the ground the proper degree for the operator of the piece to apply his eye to the sight 56 while prone on the ground and sleeve is so related to sight 56 as to be constantly disposed so as to be grasped, for operation, by the prone operator while his eye isapplied tothe sight 55.

The use and operation of the improved mount and traversing mechanism will now be described. With the trails i and 5 properly disposed relative to pedestal 2 and crosshead 3, and traverse arm disposed normal to crosshead 3 and locked in position by latch 48, traverse bar H3 is placed parallel to crosshead 3, its eye 8 swinging in shackle l, and hook 9 is en aged in its shackle l and retained therein by latch H. Yoke 4F being properly disposed on bar Hi by adjustment of sleeves i2, 2 and 3-2, the shank ill is inserted into the tubular portion 42 of the arm 43.

The mechanism is thus conditioned to traverse the gun 35. Latch 48 being retracted to release arm 33, the arm 33 is rocked by movement of sleeve 32 axially of bar ill. Sleeve 12 being released irom bar ill, sleeves i2, 24 and 32 can be shifted bodily on bar-i0 forrough traversing. When sleeve 12 is clamped on bar, in, sleeve 32 can be shifted axially of bar Ill by rotation of sleeve 24 for Vernier setting.

It is obvious (Fig. 2) that when sleeve I2 is released from bar [0, traversing is accomplished by sliding sleeve 24 axially of bar Ill. Sleeve 24 pinned to flange 28 shifts ring 2'! which shifts sleeve 52 since its flange 23 fits between ring 21 and threads 39 in sleeve 24 Thus it is seen that for rough traversing sleeves I2, 24 and 32 move bodily on bar [0.

When the mechanism is adjusted for Vernier setting, by clamping sleeve E2 to bar ID, the sleeve 24 is immovable axially of bar It because flange 23 on sleeve I2 is disposed between ring 2'! and threads 30. Rotation of sleeve 24 causes meshing threads 30 and 3| to shift sleeve 32 axially of bar I0, since sleeve 32 is non-rotatable on bar it because of yoke 20 attached thereto. Telescoping of shank 4i and tubular portion 42 permits yoke ie to travel axially of bar Hi.

It is to be understood that during rough traversing, spring detent 35 engaged in one of the notches 38 restrains sleeve 24 against rotation. When sleeve 24 is rotated for fine azimuth adjustment, spring detent 35, acting as a click as it springs into successive notches 36, serves as an audiblg indicator of the degree of traverse, since it is to be understood that the parts are so designed that a precise degree of traverse of the gun is produced by rotation of sleeve 24 through the arc comprehended by a pair of notches 36. Suitable, indicia may be placed on the traverse bar 10 for determining the desired positions of sleeve 32 for rough traversing.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a traversing mechanism for a gun mount having a rotatable gun.,carriage and a pair of adjustable trails, the combination; of [aitraverse arm having one end mounted on the carriage and having a tubular portion at its other end; a traverse bar removably mounted on and connecting the trails; asleeve slidable axially of said traverse bar; an adjustable clamp on said sleeve for fixing said sleeve on and releasing said sleeve from said bar, to prevent and permit movement of said sleeve axially of said bar; a second sleeve on said bar, and bein interiorly threaded; a coupling for connecting said two sleeves, said second sleeve. being rotatable in said coupling about said bar, immovable axially relative to said first sleeve, and movable with said first sleeve axially of said bar; a thirdsleeveslidableaxially of. said. bar and having an I exteriorly threaded portion receivedin said second sleeve; the threads of said second and third sleeves being meshed; and a yoke having its ends pivotallymountedon said third sleeve, and provided ,.with a shank slidable in'the tubular portion,of 'saiditraverse bar.

2. In a traversingmechanism for a gun mount having a rotatable gun carriage, the combination of a rock arm mounted on the, carriage;- a slidable member reciprocable on the mount; a telescopic connection between said arm and said member for rocking said arm by reciprocationof said member; a rotatable member onthe mount, threaded on saidrslidable member for reciprocating said slidable member by rotation of said rotatable member, said rotatable membervhaving a plurality of notches,- symmetrically disposed on its periphery; and a spring detent so disposed on said mount that it springs into engagement and is forced out of engagement with successive notches, on rotation of saidrotatable member, the character of the parts being such that audible clicks are produced by thesuccessivev engagements, the degree of traverse of the carriage precisely corresponding with the degrees of angular displacement of the rock arm which precisely correspondto the degrees of reciprocation of 'said slidable member which precisely correspond-to the degrees of rotation of said rotatable member indicated by said clicks.

NATHAN S. GLASSMAN.

REFERENCES Y CITED The following references are, ofrecord in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 818,942 Driggs Apr. 24, 1906 1,447,085 Joyce Feb. 27, 1923 1,986,818 Heavey Jan. 8;1935 2,380,024 Chandler July 10, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 1 Date 196,695 Switzerland June 16,1938 837,844 France Nov. 18, 1938 

